Camels in San Diego?!

Look what I found on the way to Anza Borrego Desert State Park…  I guess I may not have to travel to the Middle East to sample camel's milk.  My students tell me it's very healthy and better than cow's milk.  Back in the day when my kids were little, the San Diego Zoo had camel rides, so they may have some dim memory of the feeling. I didn't do it then, but it seems like I might have a second chance to ride a camel. Whoopee!

Here's a link for information about their tours and camel-handling classes.

Wildlife Tracking in San Diego

Many tracks at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

For a few years now, I've been going out and around San Diego County, learning to read animal signs like footprints, scat, and rubs.  The amazing thing is that after three hours of looking at the ground for wildlife, we come home feeling satisfied with our conquests. What were they? Sets of deer track, deer poop, a coyote scat, woodrat scat, cottontail tracks, and one hind raccoon print. What do these things look like?  Below are a set of random photos from various sites to illustrate some of my sightings. And yes, once in a while you actually see the wildlife! Then you know those pellets really did come from rabbits.

Raccoon at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

Jack rabbit at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park,
behind the Visitor's Center

Wonderful Webmakers in the Garden

Here are a set of photos (above) shot on the same summer day (2008). A spider captured and bundled up a moth. The whole capture and carry procedure took a few minutes, and I considered myself fortunate to have gotten some good close-ups without a macro lense.


Later in the evening of the same day, I again lucked out in that I was able to capture this hardworking spider. This spider had great markings, but looked distinct from the ones above on the plants. I know little about spiders. Does anyone know if color and markings indicate another species of garden spider? How much phenotypic variation is there, and is it significant?